


The Cat's Meow

by oddsnends



Category: Vikings (TV)
Genre: Adorable, Fluffy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-07
Updated: 2019-05-07
Packaged: 2020-02-27 19:44:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 816
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18745825
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/oddsnends/pseuds/oddsnends





	The Cat's Meow

"Father, father." Svafa rushed down the hillside toward Ubbe, her little legs going as fast as they could manage without toppling over. "Father." 

"What is it, my love?" Ubbe called standing from where he was sharpening the arrows to his hunting bow. Wanting to avoid an accidental crash into the arrows and bow he was readying, Ubbe stood to catch his daughter's incoming. 

"I have found a new cat, this one is big and golden. I fear he may be blind, but mother says that I can keep him. Can I? Can I?" Svafa bounced in her father's arms. 

"Another?" Ubbe hid his groan, forcing an intrigued smile to amuse his little girl. 

Something she had picked up from her mother, bringing in strays of all sorts. It didn't matter the animal, they brought it home and cried until he agreed to keep it. His count thus far was two goats, a horse, three milking cows, six dogs, and this would make five cats. 

"Yes, he needs a family." 

"Yes, I suppose he does." Ubbe mused, his lips twitching into a smile under his beard. "Did you make sure he is a stray?" 

The last thing he wanted was somebody accusing him of stealing their animals. He'd already had a man accuse him of stealing his horse, only to find it had escaped and was found grazing on the other side of the neighbouring field. Being a Son of Ragnar, the man quickly apologized upon the horse's safe return and Ubbe allowed the incident to remain in the past. 

"He is, father. Mother asked and nobody has claimed him. We took him with us, from the market. Uncle Hvitserk said he wouldn't be of any use, but I think he is wrong." Svafa frowned. Ubbe hummed in agreement. "Uncle Ivar doesn't use his legs and we allow him to be useful." 

Despite his physical limitations, Ivar; Ubbe's baby brother, was one of the greatest and most feared warriors that anybody had ever saw. His name would be praised long after his arrival in Valhalla. Svafa had certainly made her point and made it well. 

Ubbe chuckled at her hands on her hips and her blue eyes firm in her belief. After all, a blind cat was still a servant of Freyja. Impatient with her father, Svafa rocked back and forth on her feet. "Come, you must see him. I want you to see my new cat." 

A cat was not worth putting off feeding his family, yet Ubbe knew if he didn't see this cat now, he would not gain a moments peace until he laid eyes on and cuddled the small beast. Gathering his arrows and bow, he nodded and grunted. 

"Lead the way." 

Up the hill, his hand steadying his daughter on the steep slope, Ubbe listened as she happily chattered about her hoard of animals. Svafa had always been drawn to the creatures in the barn. Even as a baby, she would wail until Ubbe's wife took her to the yard to see the handful of cattle her father kept for winter's food supply. 

The afternoon was warm and the sun illuminated each strand of golden hair that escaped Svafa's braid. Ubbe smiled following his daughter to the farm. She was a bundle of energy and a stubborn streak to rival even the stubbornest of men. Ubbe had once witnessed Ivar give up on an argument with his niece, a rare thing for the most stubborn man in Kattegat. 

"He's in the barn, I am not allowed to keep him in the house, yet." Svafa explained her mother's rules. If the cat survived the night, then he would be granted entrance to the house. Once they were certain he was blind by birth and not some other means. 

The unknown didn't stop Svafa from stooping down to the straw nest, pulling a large cat from the safety of the hiding spot. Given the size of the animal, Ubbe had to take a double take, making certain it wasn't a small dog his daughter he brought home instead. 

"Isn't he cute?" Svafa gushed cuddling the cat. 

"He is...something." Ubbe reached out to stroke to roughed up fur on the cat's neck. A purr of contentment greeted his hand. "And what shall we name him?" 

No creature deserved to live life without being known. How else would the God's know who you were, when you entered their presence?

"I have named him Höðr, it is a good name for a cat." 

"Soon you will have more animals than Kattegat has warriors." Ubbe teased his daughter, stooping to inspect this Höðr. 

Fat, yellow as straw, and blind as the god he was named for, the cat looked happy. He was obviously able to hunt, given his size, and didn't seem bothered by the young girl cradling him in her arms. 

"Welcome to the family Höðr."


End file.
